Former chief minister and Leader of the Opposition in Haryana Assembly Bhupinder Singh Hooda expressed concern over the situation arising in the state from incessant rains.

Commenting on the horrifying pictures of waterlogging coming from various parts of the state on Monday, Hooda said life across the state has been thrown out of gear.

He said, “The rain has once again exposed the preparedness of the state government for the monsoon. From roads, streets, parks, to government offices, everything is submerged. Houses and shops have been flooded. There have also been reports of house collapse and cracks appearing due to seeping. If the rains continue in the coming days, the situation is expected to worsen.”

The Leader of the Opposition said very worrying news is also coming from Ambala, Panchkula, Kurukshetra, Karnal and Kaithal, besides other parts of the state.

“Many areas have been flooded due to overflowing of rivers and breach of dams. That’s why Ambala and other areas, where the situation is out of control, should be declared flood-affected. Also, the state government should ask for maximum help from NDRF and the Centre so that the life and property could be protected,” he said.

Conceding that rains this time around were more than normal, Hooda insisted that the government should have taken timely steps to prevent waterlogging.

“It was the responsibility of the government to make additional arrangements for drainage and cleaning of sewerage system, but it sat idle, as always. Today even the Millennium City of Gurugram has turned into a pond because when the government should have been focused on making arrangements for the rainy season, it was busy renaming the metro station,” he added.

The former CM said the government will now have to work on war footing so that the lives and properties could be saved. The government should also announce compensation for the loss already caused to the people due to the rains.

Hooda also made an appeal to the public to take all precautions. “People should be careful while moving out and venture out only when it is absolutely necessary,” he said.